New tattoo

I had my first 4-hour sitting with my tattoo artist, Ben Gun, yesterday for my "I kicked cancer's ass" tattoo and here's the result. It's not even kind of finished, and there will be more outlining done at my next sitting (Oct 6) when he'll be lining a firey phoenix on the left side of my back with cherry blossoms going up onto my left shoulder. Yeah. It's my whole back. But it's beautifully done and I LOVE it. There's a reason he's one of the top artists in Colorado and has a 3-month waiting list!

In case you're wondering, the symbolism is: waves = emotion, koi fish = courage, lotus flower = strength and beauty, fire = passion, phoenix = rebirth, cherry blossoms = feminine power and sexuality (in Chinese culture) or the delicate transience of life (in Japanese culture). So, yunno, this is a pretty powerful piece for me. Can't wait til it's done, though it'll probably take a year or so... Anyway, just thought I'd share.

He free-handed the drawing on my back with Sharpies first...



And here's the finished outline. I'll be getting the phoenix outlined Oct 6 and then color and shading starts Dec 1. I can't wait!